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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23166274">Cassandra's Curse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NRGburst/pseuds/NRGmeta'>NRGmeta (NRGburst)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Snowflake Day 10: Share your love for a trope, cliché, kink, motif, or theme [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Game of Thrones (TV), Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Essays, Meta, Narrative Devices, Nonfiction, Prophecy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:41:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>795</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23166274</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NRGburst/pseuds/NRGmeta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Why I love Prophecy</p><p>Originally posted on DW; rewritten and archiving for March Meta Matters 2020.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Snowflake Day 10: Share your love for a trope, cliché, kink, motif, or theme [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>March Meta Matters Challenge</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cassandra's Curse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Okay, with both <em>Thor: </em><em>Ragnarok</em> and <em>Agents of Shield</em> using this well worn plot device in 2017, I kind of HAVE to talk about why prophecies are something I lovelovelove.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="ljcut">
  <p> </p>
  <p>First things first: <strong>it's only a prophecy if it comes true in the end. </strong>Otherwise it's just a bunch of mystical BS you shouldn't have believed. (See also: the "Prophecy" of Durin's Folk, and delightfully, the Curse of the Sun and Moon in <em>The Vampire Diaries, </em>which was a <em>deliberate </em>fake.).  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>See, prophecies should be about as motivating to characters as communism: if you're going to end up with xyz anyway, why bother acting at all? BUT if your fate looks like it's going to be of the Terrible Doom variety, well, any being with an ounce of self preservation is going to want to change that (or conversely, dismiss it as total BS because you don't <em>want</em> to believe it). Similarly, if it looks like you're going to be The Biggest Damn Hero after foretold Dramatic Events, you are probably going to go fearlessly charging towards your Bigger, Better Future because you already think it's guaranteed.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>What I love about prophecies is how their cryptic wording (or not! <em>Agents of Shield</em> used a prophecy put forth in<em> pictures</em>) can often be misinterpreted, and should therefore be followed with caution. An ominous sounding fate is actually salvation for a race (<em>Thor: Ragnarok)</em>, <em>Star Wars'</em> Chosen One plunged the galaxy into ruin instead of peace, bringing the prophesied Balance well after <em>he had totally f*cked it up first</em>. And that makes <em>such</em> a compelling story to me: not that we can't fight our fate, but that sometimes we bring it on ourselves by trying to prevent it, or find that it's really not so horrible after all, and usually discover that despite "knowing" the future, the actual unfolding of events defied expectation.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p><em>Game of Thrones</em> has put forth a couple of different prophecies, showing how badly things can go when you misinterpret them. Melisandre and Stannis had been blazing with conviction that he was Azor Ahai reborn since S2 despite the fact that even then, people noted his sword was lit by a spell, and did not burn on its own like the legendary <em>Lightbringer; </em>that it was kind of horrific that he was burning his brother-in-law, who was not only family, but had supported his military efforts.  And yet because they kept winning (dead leeches full of "King's Blood" seemed to bring about the deaths of three rival kings, they decimated the wildlings when they went to defend the Night's Watch) they kept doubling down on the blood sacrifices, burning nonbelievers at the stake for the favor of their god R'hllor, The Lord of Light. That is, until they did the unforgivable: they burned Stannis' daughter Shireen at the stake to ask for a favor: a thaw in the weather. And while the snows did melt, his wife committed suicide out of regret and half of his men simply deserted because he had finally crossed a line they couldn't stomach. The remnants of his tired Southern army was cut down like wheat in the fields by Ramsey Bolton's fresh Northern soldiers in front of Winterfell, and Brienne executed Stannis, making it resoundingly clear that he was never The Prince That was Promised. Melisandre enters S6 utterly disillusioned, her faith in her belief in the prophecy shattered. </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>But the prophecy I love most is <a href="http://supercanaries.tumblr.com/post/146554832201/what-is-a-valonqar-some-monster-the-golden">Cersei's</a>because she Won The Game (for now) and she triumphed in part <em>because</em> she made the most of her prophesied tragedy, like<a href="https://rubyredwisp.tumblr.com/post/146554149153/and-what-of-my-wrath"> just look at her claim the throne</a> upon the ashes of the beautiful queen who usurped her <em>and</em> her beloved children!!! It was an interpretation that defied everybody's expectations, and I freaking loved it.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>It's deliciously ironic too- she lost the things she held most dear (her children) and the Iron Throne was a consolation prize in the exact same way it was for her despised former husband. ("Someone took her away from me, and seven kingdoms couldn't fill the hole she left behind.")</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>I also like playing with prophecy in fic, because tricky double meanings are my jaaam. So I reinterpreted the Death Myth of Maui into a prophecy in <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/8824432">Smitten</a> (<em>Moana</em>, Moana/Maui), made The Prophecy of Durin's Folk into an actual prophecy in <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/3262523">To Catch a Falling Star</a> (<em>The Hobbit</em>, Kili/Tauriel), and I'm in the process of reinterpreting the Chosen One prophecy in <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/5734219">A Third Path</a> (Star Wars, Anakin/Padme). I've also reinterpreted the prophecy of Azor Ahai to make it that Arya Stark is actually the Prince That was Promised in both <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/18877969">To Temper Steel</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/20425886">Bound</a>.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>TBH, I don't see this come up a lot in fic, but I'd adore any recs!</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Original post <a href="https://nrgburst.dreamwidth.org/112324.html">here on my DW.</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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